Hmm, not much writing done over the weekend, must try harder during the week. So close to the end of the first draft now, but the last few scenes are pretty complicated so I don’t want to rush them. I also need to write lyrics to a song and find a way of presenting the song, as that’s part of the big finale. I wonder if it’s possible to get someone to record it, when it’s written, and to have the recording online. Then put a link in the Kindle version to that page and one in the print version, so readers can go off and hear the song when they get to that point in the story. There’s an idea…

I just need to write the song, get someone to record it for me… Meanwhile. I am looking out of my office window on a Sunday and the room around me is now a dusty, sandy, salmon-ish pink colour that has already been described as ‘light terracotta’, which sounds much better than pink. But it’s a warm colour, in the north facing room, and it looks very smart. Neil spent four hours on it on Saturday while I did the housework. I’ve moved furniture around as well to make room for the sofa bed which should be on its way afore long, we hope.

Saturday evening was given over to guests and more cat pampering by some of his fans, Viv in this case:

And Sunday was given over to more things around the house and a bit of chilling out. Neil went to get some money out, I did some baking in the recently cleaned oven (why do manufacturers call oven cleaner ‘Oven cleaner’ – it never actually cleans anything) and, as I write, we’re expecting friends for lunch. After that? Well, it’s a Sunday which usually means an afternoon in the square and possibly a quick meal at the taverna, but we will see. We have a 5.30 appointment tomorrow (Monday) morning with the ladies who want to see the sunrise and open some bubbles to celebrate a birthday. We said we’d walk up the road with them and then join them on our run back from the monastery. But in order for that to happen we have to get an early Sunday night and that’s not happened for the past few weeks.

Down in Symi town I can see the boats a coming and a going and life going on as usual. The soldiers have done their Sunday morning ritual at the war memorial, we can hear them singing from up here – they also come back in the evening to lower the flag. The tail end of some further-north thunderstorms has passed us by with a little cloud the other day, but now normal service has been resumed. The Poseidon is going out on its round the island boat trips, the shops and cafes are all open, the tavernas and bars too. At the house, the plants are growing (all but one) though the chilli seeds haven’t come up yet, the cat is still shedding more fur than he owns, somehow, and I spent 40 minutes hoovering the sofa on Saturday and it’s already attracting more white fur. Viv brushed off four handfuls on Saturday night and no doubt I could get the same from him today. Mind you, he does look much thinner after a good brushing.

So, off into Monday we go and this week we have only one house guest planned, a lot of writing, and very little else. Perhaps I will even get draft one finished by this time next week? And remember, if you’ve not got a copy of ‘Lonely House’ as yet you can find a copy at Amazon here.  And if you’re a Kindle reader you can get the Kindle version here.  Bring either with you to Symi and I’ll happily sign your copy.

I know, I won’t sign your Kindle of course, I was only joking about that.

Had a great piece of spam email in today, well, semi-spam I guess as it was from Amazon and I haven’t taken myself off their email list and I suppose I could do. But it’s worth staying on it for moments like this.

Dear James Collins, we thought you might be interested in these publications for your summer reading: ‘Symi 85600,’ By James Collins…. ‘Carry On Up The Kali Strata’ by James Collins….. ‘Village View, a year on Symi, by James…. I think the clue is in the question hon!

And there’s a thing. Since when did everyone start calling each other ‘hon’? Facebook users will know what I mean. I know some people do use the word (and when they use it on me the flesh does tend to creep, sorry), but also a lot of people don’t; and yet they do when putting messages on FB. ‘Hi hon, how you doing?’ ‘Mind your own business and don’t call me hon, hon.’ ‘Okay hon.’ I mean, what’s all that about? And how much more American do we need to get?

Anyway, it’s Thursday as I write, I’ve done my morning’s work, I’ve been up since 5.15 and we’ve walked/run up the mountainside to the monastery again and all the way back, and I’ve not really been out an about anywhere else recently, hence today’s images of the same old same old. I’ve had emails in from the UK keeping me up to date with what’s happening in Greece (a couple of gullets going out, the Symi Sea Dreams just came in, there’s a wood pigeon singing, the Alarm Cat’s asleep on the Louis Vuitton trunk) and telling me what is going to happen in Greece in the near future (a few more gullets will go out, the Symi Sea Dreams will come in, a wood pigeon will sing and the cat will sleep on the trunk) and perhaps I should think about stashing my money under the mattress. I would but I don’t have any to stash so there’s no point in doing that, is there?

I know, things are getting serious and the UK press (I can’t speak for other countries) are covering themselves, as is the UK Government from what I understand, and shuffling up to be in poll position to be able to say, ‘We did warn you,’ if anything untoward happens to a white family from Godalming if they have a bad experience with a hotel owner in Kalodosalopolos where they had to pay for a drink when they thought they were getting all inclusive – as some of the UK ‘Press’ do. You know how it is. We’re living in interesting times – and if the blog suddenly goes ‘dark’ you will know that we’ve run out of fuel for the power station, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

So, in the meantime, eyes on the government and the situation, yes, but also on life and getting on with the day to day because you can’t change the fact that each day comes one at a time, until they don’t; and in that case it will cease to matter. So, I have things to do other than worry about ‘what if.’ There’s a book to be writing and a book to be promoting, there’s cat fur over everything to be picked up and stuck back on (see how he likes it), there’s a courtyard to be swept, a Sunday lunch to plan, for Sunday obviously, a soiree tonight to attend, a mountain to walk up tomorrow morning and all kinds of fun to be had. So, I’m off to get on.

It’s Tuesday, it’s 45 minutes before the Greek Prime minister makes an announcement, thought, at the moment, to be about Greece leaving the Eurozone at the end of the month; possible clamp down on cash withdrawals from banks, possible limits on shifting money out of the country, and all kinds of other things going on. My contact in the UK sent me a link to the headlines of the British press this morning and I took a quick look to see what the news about Greece is:

“Two chocolate Bars a day might cut strokes.” No, Mirror, won’t be able to import chocolate soon. Er: “Morning after pill can be sold to under-16s.” Possibly a bit late in certain places I can think of. No, that’s not it Guardian… “How chocolate can add years to your life.” Thanks Express, but I’ve been living by that belief for many years now. Keeps looking…

“Greedy dentists fleece families.” Well, if they are so greedy, D Mail (averts eyes), how come they clothing all those families in fleeces? I could do with a new one for the winter, thanks. “It’s boil Ascot!” got to be The Star. Get that fleece off, it’s June! Moves quickly on…

“Pope warns of ‘unprecedented damage’ from climate change.” Can only assume, Independent, that he got his info from a higher authority. “Starr sues ‘grope victim’ for £300k.” That’s from something called Free Metro… Keeps looking… “3 Mums, 9 Kids, 1 Hell.” Screams the Sun who are clearly reporting from Sotiris’ goat farm up the mountain, but no, not what I was looking for…

Ah ah! The Times, in its second leader, or whatever t’s called, “Greece in ‘state of emergency’.” Well, as far as I know it’s not, but it may be in eight minutes as it’s now nearly 14:00, the appointed hour for the PM to have a chat with us.

Financial Times: “Tsipras vows to resist ‘pillaging’ of Greece in blow to deal prospect.” A pretty big blow if he is indeed going to announce, in seven minutes that he is not paying the moneylenders their money so they can give him some more that he can use to pay them back with next time. (Sound like first class laundry service to me.)

And The Telegraph: “Greece on brink of Euro Exit.” At last! My headlines. Thanks for telling me that. Now I know what’s going on. Of course I should have just gone and read one of the 101 available Greek newspapers, which actually I do do from time to time, or watched the everlasting news programmes that are on, which I do less frequently now that I have Sim City BulidIt on my tablet.

If I sound flippant it’s because I am. I will let you know how the forthcoming Grexit (as it surely is a certainty now) affects us as it goes on. But so far, so good. And it might even get better for you coming on holiday as things should be cheaper, unless they’ve been bought in from abroad, like fuel and power, and gas, and supplies in which case, they might be the same price for you earning Euros, Sterling or Dollars etc. and more expensive for anyone earning Drachma. Ah, it’s two o’clock now, just need to post this up with some pics from the photo bag and I can go and see what’s to become of Greece for real. Meanwhile, I shall set about my two chocolate bars while I can still afford them.

And, sorry to throw this in as what looks like an afterthought, but in more important and local news, I just learned from Michaelis at the Town Hall that Pacho, of Pacho’s kafeneion fame, has died. Very sad as I am sure a lot of people would have known him.

Shouldn’t have taken the micky our of Mrs What’s’ername yesterday. The next time my Mailwasher went ‘ping’ I got another spam email. This time from myself apparently. I didn’t open it, it looked like a bill.

Now, you know I’m not one for news, but I am keeping an eye on what’s going to happen to Greece at the end of the month, the Grexit and Euro fiasco and all that. I don’t really have an opinion on it other than, ‘If you’re going to do something then get on with it! We’re all rather bored of the story now, we need a new twist.’ I mean, if this was a novel you’d have put it down long ago. Well, I would have. So, if I get wind of anything interesting from all of this that might possibly affect Symi, then I’ll let you know.

I only mention this because my ‘Mister Enthusiastic For Dramatic Headlines’ back in the UK is sending me regular updates, as he sees them. He is a journalist, so he has this eye for the selling point, so the distillation of the UK reporting might be biased towards what would sell his paper, if he still worked on one. Example: it seems the Mail in Sunday has a ‘special’ reporter in Athens who can report from ground zero on the way the Greek National Health Service is starting to resemble parts of the British NHS. The wonderfully obtuse newspaper apparently reports that in Greece’s hospitals, “…babies are being held to ransom until bills are paid. Hospital porters [are] being sent out as paramedics. The headline is how people in Greece are literally dying to leave Europe.”

And apparently life expectancy in Greece is now down by three years, so probably down to 96 then. But read all that with a pinch of snuff because it may be bad in one hospital in the poorer parts of the largest city in the country, but elsewhere? Well, come and see the excellent Rhodes hospital, or check into an IKA specialist for a free consultation, and I expect you’ll find a different story.

But enough seriousness; whatever you do, don’t let this kind of reporting, the (I wish they’d get a move on one way or the other) Grexit, my ramblings on subjects I know very little about, and the scandalous reporting of refugee, financial, health and other crises, put you off booking that ticket and getting on that plane. The water’s lovely, come on in, as they say.

And meanwhile, back in the real world which is the view from the desk: The taxi boats are going out, the Poseidon’s long gone out (this is yesterday morning by the way), there are some super-yachts (that’s a matter of opinion) hanging about, plenty of those white ones you can hire and take out after only half an hour’s training (gulp!), and some Turkish gullets nosing in. The ‘Spanos’ boat has come and gone to return later and the day-trip boats should be along in a moment. There were three on Friday and all packed, which was good to see.

And as for me, I am just about to go and check the Kindle version of ‘Lonely House’ again while I wait for my editor to send up the final interior file for the book to go up to Amazon. Neil’s off to town to sort out some “work permit paperwork unnecessary admin and €3.00 tax for the honour of having a part time job and three hours lost to administration via three offices but it’s better than risking a fine”, and that’s about it for today.

Late start to the day, didn’t get up until 7.30, had a great weekend, and Neil had given me loads of photos for the blog so that’s all good news. First thoughts for a Monday morning? Well, it’s got to be the email inbox hasn’t it? Word for word, as written, Mrs DorisHamson writes:

Dearest in Christ,
I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ our Lord, I am Mrs DorisHamson (presumably she means Doris Hamson), from Kuwait I am married to Mr Robert Hamson who worked with Kuwaitembassy (no idea – think it’s like Marks & Spencer) in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2012. (Read that again. She; still married ‘I am married to…’ and yet he died in 2012. Probably going a bit smelly by now love, I’d get over it and move on.) We were married for eleven years without a child. (She sounds like she is proud that they broke some kind of Ivory Coast record.) He died after a briefillness (“’twas ‘briefillness’ and the slivey toves did gyre and gimble…”) that lasted for only four days (Never mind, perhaps your next husband will linger longer in agony for your amusement). Before his death we were both bornagain Christian (just the one, clearly). Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a childoutside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. (Your Bible is against your matrimonial home? That’s a bit strict isn’t it?)

Mrs DorisHamson then goes on to explain that she’s sitting on $5.2 million dollars and her doctor has told her she only has a few months and she’s shuffling of this mortal coil to go and join her HusbandMrHamon and she wants to use this money “toendeavour that the house of God is maintained.” Presumably that kind of house is allowed even though the Bible is against her kind of matrimonial house. It carries on to tell me all about Exodus (I saw the film) 14 Vs 14 and how she doesn’t need a phone call but when I email back she’ll hook me up with “the contact ofthe Bank in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire West Africa” and that I mustn’t hang about because “Any delay in your replywill give me room in sourcing another church for this same purpose. Pleaseassure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.”

However, I didn’t reply straight away and thus, I assume, I have lost my PlaceAtTheTableOfTheLord and whoops! There goes my five million, ah well, ‘I shall not want’, and all that. The reason I got delayed in claiming my financial security and place at the right hand was because I had this note from a UK TV addict (and, I suspect, secret Daily Mail reader):

“Lots of discussion about Greece this weekend on TV news etc. Surveys of voters in Germany and France show people are getting fed up with the Greeks and basically want to get them out. The general feeling is that the Greeks are incompetent at running their country, for years they’ve been spending money they haven’t got and then they expect everyone to bail them out. Then they elect a government that simply doesn’t face up to the realities and won’t engage with the rest of Europe in a proper way. They won’t compromise or bargain and just insist they should be helped out without helping themselves. Lots of people on TV saying things like that.”

So, all that has got my week off to a rather wobbly start. There will be more entertaining news as the week progresses, for example, how ‘Straight Swap’ is now up to 103,000 words and heading for the finale, and how ‘Lonely House’ should be available online at Amazon in a few days. Now then, let me compose a reply to MrsHamson.